JP7564364B2 - Electric kettle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of small home appliances, and in particular to electric kettles for heating liquids such as water, tea, milk, etc.

Electric kettles are frequently used in daily life to warm liquids such as water, tea, and milk, due to their advantages such as safety and security, ease of use, portability, and efficient heating.

Typically, an electric kettle consists of a container for receiving the liquid to be heated and a heating device located directly below the container. The container is provided at its bottom with an upper connector that is electrically connected to the heating device. The kettle is often used with a base that consists of a lower connector that is electrically connected to a power source. When the kettle is placed on the base, the upper and lower connectors are joined together and, when the switch is turned on, power is supplied to the kettle while the liquid is being heated. To ensure the safety of using the kettle, a thermal fuse is installed in the heating device.

For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, some existing electric kettles have a heating device that is composed of a non-closed loop heating tube and a temperature fuse that is attached under the heating tube and maintained in position via a mounting bracket. However, because the space available for the heating device is limited, it is quite difficult to mount the device in this way in the desired position simply, quickly, reliably, and at low cost.

JP 2009-125356 A

The present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.

To this end, the present invention provides an electric kettle comprising a container for receiving a liquid to be heated and a heating assembly arranged below the container, the heating assembly comprising a heating tube, a temperature fuse attached below the heating tube via a bracket, and a plate made of a thermally conductive material and arranged between the bottom of the container and the heating tube, the plate comprising a body in which the heating tube is arranged, and tabs projecting radially from the outer edge of the body and configured to cooperate with the bracket to hold the bracket in a position in contact with the heating tube.

The tabs, which protrude radially from the outer edge of the body, allow the thermal fuse to be easily, quickly and reliably mounted under the heating tube via a bracket fixed to the tabs, with a limited number of auxiliary parts and operations (hence low cost). The tabs are also inexpensive and can be easily added to existing heat spreading plates without changing the actual arrangement and structure of the different parts of the heating assembly.

Advantageously, the bracket comprises a support portion adapted to receive and hold the thermal fuse in place, and a mounting portion adapted to be fixed to a tab of the plate. Preferably, the support portion and the mounting portion are integrally formed to ensure good mechanical strength of the bracket.

In some embodiments, the tab includes at least one threaded rod on a surface thereof that contacts the mounting portion having at least one mounting through hole through which the at least one threaded rod is inserted, and at least one nut threadably engages the at least one threaded rod to secure the bracket to the tab.

This is an easy solution to implement, as it requires common fasteners (nuts, threaded rods) and procedures (welding, screwing). Furthermore, there are no special requirements for the shape or structure of the bracket. This means that almost any bracket with mounting holes can be used.

In some embodiments, the tab includes at least one threaded through hole, the mounting portion includes at least one mounting through hole aligned with the at least one threaded through hole, and at least one threaded fastener passes through the at least one mounting through hole and threads into the at least one threaded through hole to secure the bracket to the tab.

This solution is simpler and requires fewer parts than traditional solutions because it does not require an additional threaded rod (often welded) to the tab.

Advantageously, the bottom of the container has a substantially circular downwardly projecting central platform and a ring-shaped groove around the central platform, the body of the plate being fixed to the bottom surface of the central platform and the tabs of the plate extending radially beyond the central platform and spaced from the bottom surface of the groove.

When the heating tube is turned on, the generated heat is transferred through the plate to the bottom of the container, heating the liquid inside. The tab is located away from the bottom of the groove, allowing more solutions to be conceived and making it easier to fix the bracket to the tab, as the space above the groove can be fully utilized without interference with the outlet parts.

In some embodiments, the tab includes a slot that extends substantially tangentially to an edge of the body of the plate, and the mounting portion of the bracket includes a resilient mounting structure configured to cooperate with the slot to hold the bracket in place by a resilient force.

This slot makes it possible to further simplify the installation of the bracket on the tab. In fact, because the bracket's elastic mounting structure works in conjunction with the slot, the bracket can be automatically fixed to the tab without using fasteners such as screws, nuts, or bolts, reducing the effort and cost of assembly. In addition, a "snap" sound is heard when the bracket is inserted into the slot, allowing you to check whether the bracket is properly attached, making installation easy, quick, and reliable.

In some embodiments, the resilient mounting structure comprises a resilient central tab configured to be removably inserted into the slot with its free end at least partially abutting the bottom surface of the groove so as to hold the bracket in place when the central tab is inserted into the slot.

The central claw is elastic, so it can be bent into the appropriate position before being inserted into the slot. This allows the bracket that constitutes such a central claw to be attached with a simple operation.

Advantageously, the resilient mounting structure further comprises two resilient side claws spaced from the central claw and configured to press against the outer edges of the tab to ensure mounting stability of the bracket.

Advantageously, the two lateral claws are arranged symmetrically on either side of the central claw.

In this way, the force balance is improved, further improving the mounting stability of the bracket.

Advantageously, each of the two side claws has at its free end a bent portion which extends towards the bottom of the groove and presses against the periphery of the outer edge of the tab when the central claw is inserted into the slot.

The bend helps hold the bracket more firmly in place.

Advantageously, the central pawl has teeth at its free end which extend towards and press against the bottom surface of the groove to prevent the bracket from sliding radially outward.

In some embodiments, the resilient mounting structure includes a resilient insert configured to be removably inserted into the slot with its free end at least partially against the bottom surface of the groove, the insert having an opening substantially at its center and a resilient lamella extending from an edge of the opening in a direction away from the free end of the insert, such that when the insert is inserted into the slot, the lamella abuts a surface of the tab facing the bottom surface of the groove.

Advantageously, the plate is made of aluminium, which has a high thermal conductivity and therefore allows the heat generated by the heating tubes to be better conducted to the bottom of the plate.

Advantageously, the tab is formed integrally with the body of the plate. Because the tab and body are integral, the positional accuracy of the thermal fuse held in the bracket is improved. In addition, work such as welding is not required to attach the tab to the body, and there is no interface between the tab and the body, so the connection strength of the tab is high.

Advantageously, the bracket is made of a thermally conductive material such as aluminum or copper. In this way, the heat generated in the heating tube can be quickly conducted to the thermal fuse via the plate and bracket, so that the temperature of the thermal fuse can follow the temperature of the heating tube in real time, further improving the safety of the kettle.

It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intended to limit the invention.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. It is easily understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the protection scope of the present invention. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar components unless otherwise stated. For illustrative purposes, the drawings may not be drawn to scale.
FIG. 1 is a bottom exploded view of a heating assembly of an electric kettle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded bottom view of an electric kettle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the electric kettle of FIG. 2 in which a thermal fuse is mounted below a heating tube via a bracket. FIG. 4 is a bottom exploded view showing a heating assembly of an electric kettle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a bracket of the heating assembly of FIG. 6A and 6B show how the bracket of FIG. 5 is assembled. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heating assembly taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 8 is a bottom exploded view showing a heating assembly of an electric kettle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the heating assembly of FIG. 8 with the bracket removed. 10 is a perspective view of the bracket of the heating assembly of FIG. 8. FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the heating assembly taken along line BB in FIG.

1 Heating tube 2 Plate made of thermally conductive material 20 Body 21 Tab 211 Threaded through hole 212 Threaded rod 213 Slot 3 Bracket 31 Support 32 Mounting part 321 Mounting through hole 322 Elastic central claw 3221 Tooth 323 Elastic lateral claw 3231 Bent part 324 Elastic insert 3241 Free end of elastic insert 325 Opening 3251 Edge of opening 326 Elastic lamella 4 Bottom of container 41 Groove 42 Central platform 51 Nut 52 Threaded fastener 6 Thermal fuse 7 Bottom cover 8 Container 9 Thermoregulator

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "upper", "lower", "bottom", "top" and the like used herein refer to the electric kettle in its normal position of use, but in all drawings of the present invention, it is upside down to better show the heating assembly located at the bottom of the kettle.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 11, the present invention provides an electric kettle 100 comprising a container 8 for receiving a liquid to be heated, and a heating assembly disposed under the container 8 and covered by a bottom cover 7. An upper connector 11 electrically connected to the heating assembly is provided at the bottom of the container 8 and is accessible from an opening in the center of the bottom cover 7. When the kettle 100 is placed on a base (not shown) consisting of a lower connector electrically connected to a power source, the upper connector and the lower connector are coupled to each other so as to supply power to the kettle 100 as required. The heating assembly is composed of a heating tube 1, a temperature fuse 6, a heat diffusion plate 2, and a temperature regulator 9. The heating tube 1 extends in the circumferential direction to form an unclosed ring with both ends close to each other. The temperature fuse 6 is attached under the heating tube 1 via a bracket 3 and is electrically connected in series with the heating tube 1. The plate 2 is composed of a body 20 having a substantially round shape, made of a thermally conductive material such as aluminum, copper, etc., and is disposed between the bottom 4 of the container 8 and the heating tube 1. The bottom 4 of the vessel 8 is composed of a substantially circular central platform 42 protruding downwards and a ring-shaped groove 41 around the platform 42. The body 20 of the plate 2 is fixed to the bottom surface of the platform 42 by any suitable means. The heating tube 1, the temperature regulator 9, and the upper connector 11 are disposed on the lower surface of the body 20. It should be understood that the body 20 and the central platform 42 may be of any other shape.

When the power is turned on to the heating tube 1, it generates heat, and the heat is transferred to the bottom 4 of the container 8 through the plate 2, so that the liquid contained in the container 8 can be heated. When a preset temperature is reached, the temperature regulator 9 cuts off the circuit and stops the operation of the heating tube 1. However, in some situations, the temperature regulator 9 may fail and the heating tube 1 may continue to operate, which may cause a safety problem such as a fire. To prevent such a danger, a temperature fuse 6 is added near the heating tube 1. When the temperature fuse 6 blows at a high temperature, the circuit of the heating tube 1 is cut off, so no more heat is generated and the temperature drops. Thanks to the temperature fuse 6, the kettle 100 is safer when used and its parts are prevented from being damaged by high temperatures.

To facilitate the attachment of the thermal fuse 6, the present invention proposes to provide a tab 21 that projects radially from the outer edge of the body 20 and extends radially beyond the central platform 42 of the bottom 4 of the container 8. The tab 21 is configured to cooperate with the bracket 3 to hold the bracket 3 in a position where it contacts the heating tube 1. The bracket 3 comprises a support 31 configured to receive the thermal fuse 6 and hold it in place, and a mounting part 32 configured to be fixed to the tab 21 of the plate 2. The support 31 abuts against the underside of the heating tube 1 by a substantially horizontally extending part so as to ensure that the thermal fuse 6 is held in a position sufficiently close to the heating tube 1. When the temperature of the heating tube 1 rises, the adjacent thermal fuse 6 is also heated to a high temperature, and is heated beyond the melting point of the thermal fuse 6, which then breaks and interrupts the circuit.

Preferably, the tab 21 is integrally formed with the body 20 of the plate 2 from a thermally conductive material. This eliminates the need for additional operations such as welding to attach the tab 21 to the body 20, and the connection strength between the tab 21 and the body 20 is high due to the absence of an interface therebetween. Also, since the tab 21 and the body 20 are integral, the positional accuracy of the thermal fuse 6 held by the bracket 3 can be improved. However, it should be understood that the tab 21 can be manufactured separately and then fixed to the body 20 by any suitable means.

Preferably, the tab 21 is substantially rectangular. This shape is simple and easy to obtain, and does not significantly increase the complexity and cost of the manufacturing process of the heating assembly. Of course, the tab 21 may be of other shapes, such as square, oval, elliptical, etc. Preferably, the bracket 3 is also made of a thermally conductive material, so that the heat can be more quickly conducted from the heating tube 1 through the plate 2 and the bracket 3 to the thermal fuse 6. Therefore, the temperature of the thermal fuse 6 will follow the temperature of the heating tube 1 in more real time, and the safety of the kettle will be further improved.

In the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 (some parts are removed for better illustration), the tab 21 has two threaded rods 212 on its surface that contacts the mounting portion 32 of the bracket 3, and the mounting portion 32 has two corresponding mounting through holes 321. The threaded rods 212 can be inserted into the mounting through holes 321, and two nuts 51 can be screwed onto the threaded rods from the surface opposite to the tab 21, thereby fixing the bracket 3 to the tab 21. It should be understood that the number of the threaded rods 212, mounting through holes 321 and nuts 51 can be more than two or less than two according to the actual needs. In this embodiment, the mounting through holes 321 are substantially circular, but can also be slot-shaped, so that the mounting position of the bracket 3 can be adjusted to compensate for the manufacturing errors of different parts. The threaded rods 212 can be attached to the tab 21 by, for example, welding, or can be formed integrally with the tab 21.

2 and 3, in the second embodiment, the tab 21 is provided with two threaded through holes 211, and the mounting portion 32 of the bracket 3 is provided with two corresponding mounting through holes 321, whether threaded or not. When the threaded through holes 211 and the mounting through holes 321 are aligned with each other, two threaded fasteners 52 (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.) are screwed into the aligned holes, respectively, to fix the bracket 3 to the tab 21. Since the tab 21 is positioned at a distance from the groove 41, the threaded fasteners 52 can extend beyond the threaded through holes 211, ensuring a reliable fixation of the bracket 3 to the tab 21. Furthermore, compared to the first embodiment, the number of parts (no threaded rod required) and the amount of work (no welding required) for fixing the bracket 3 are reduced, leading to a reduction in costs. Similarly, the number of threaded through holes 211, mounting through holes 321 and threaded fasteners 52 may be more than two or less depending on the actual needs. In this embodiment, the mounting through-hole 321 is substantially circular, but it can also be slot-shaped to allow the mounting position of the bracket 3 to be adjusted to compensate for manufacturing tolerances of different parts.

In a third embodiment as shown in Figures 4 to 7, the tab 21 comprises a slot 213 extending substantially in a direction tangential to the edge of the body 20 of the plate 2. The mounting portion 32 of the bracket 3 comprises an elastic mounting structure configured to cooperate with the slot 213 to hold the bracket 3 in place by elastic force. As best shown in Figures 4 to 5 and 7, the elastic mounting structure comprises an elastic central claw 322 configured to be removably inserted into the slot 213 with its free end at least partially abutting the bottom surface of the groove 41 so as to hold the bracket 3 in place when the central claw 322 is inserted into the slot 213. To ensure mounting stability of the bracket, the elastic mounting structure may further comprise two or more elastic lateral claws 323 spaced apart from the central claw 322 and configured to press against the outer edge of the tab 21. Advantageously, each of the two lateral claws 323 has a bent portion 3231 at its free end. The bent portion 3231 extends substantially vertically toward the groove 41 and presses against the circumferential surface of the outer edge of the tab 21 when the central claw 322 is inserted into the slot 213. Preferably, the two lateral claws 323 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central claw 322, making the bracket 3 more stable in the assembled state thanks to a better balance of forces. As best shown in Figures 5 and 7, the central claw 322 may further include a tooth 3221 at its free end that extends toward and presses against the bottom surface of the groove 41 to prevent the bracket 3 from sliding back (radially outward).

8-11, like the third embodiment, in the fourth embodiment, the tab 21 also includes a slot 213 extending in a direction substantially tangential to the edge of the body 20 of the plate 2. However, the bracket 3 of this embodiment has a different structure from that of the third embodiment. As best shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the elastic mounting structure of the bracket 3 according to the fourth embodiment comprises an elastic insert 324 configured to be removably inserted into the slot 213 with its free end 3241 at least partially abutting the bottom surface of the groove 41. The insert 324 comprises an opening 325 substantially at its center and an elastic lamella 326 extending from the edge 3251 of the opening 325 in a direction away from the free end 3241 of the insert. When the insert 324 is inserted into the slot 213, the lamella 326 abuts against the surface of the tab 21 facing the bottom surface of the groove 41. In this way, the bracket 3 and the thermal fuse 6 received therein are stably held, so the thermal fuse 6 works more reliably and ensures safety when using the electric kettle.

Compared with the first and second embodiments, the third and fourth embodiments are more advantageous in that no additional operations such as fasteners and welding are required to fix the bracket 3. That is, the bracket 3 can be automatically fixed to the tab 21 under the action of elastic force by simply inserting it into the slot 213. Therefore, the number of parts is further reduced and manufacturing and assembly are further simplified, resulting in lower costs, improved production efficiency, and improved installation reliability. In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the worker can only visually check whether the nuts, screws, and bolts are properly screwed in, but in the third and fourth embodiments, the worker can check by the "snap" sound generated when inserting the bracket into the slot, making bracket installation easy, quick, and reliable.

It should be understood that the bracket and tab may have shapes, structures or configurations other than those described above, so long as the bracket can be secured to the tab in an appropriate manner.

In the drawings and the above description, non-limiting specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. Some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted in order to teach the principles of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations derived from these embodiments are within the scope of the present invention, and that the above features can be combined in various ways, where there is no conflict, to form multiple variations of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but is defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (15)

An electric kettle comprising a container (8) for receiving a liquid to be heated and a heating assembly arranged under the container (8), the heating assembly comprising a heating tube (1), a temperature fuse (6) attached under the heating tube (1) via a bracket (3), and a plate (2) made of a thermally conductive material and arranged between the bottom (4) of the container (8) and the heating tube (1), the plate (2) comprising a body (20) in which the heating tube (1) is arranged, and a tab (21) protruding radially from the outer edge of the body (20) and configured to cooperate with the bracket (3) to hold the bracket (3) in a position in contact with the heating tube (1). The electric kettle of claim 1, wherein the bracket (3) comprises a support portion (31) configured to receive and hold the thermal fuse (6) in place, and a mounting portion (32) configured to be fixed to the tab (21) of the plate (2). The electric kettle according to claim 2, wherein the tab (21) is provided with at least one threaded rod (212) on a surface that contacts the mounting portion (32) having at least one mounting through hole (321) into which the at least one threaded rod (212) is inserted, and at least one nut (51) is screwed onto the at least one threaded rod to fix the bracket (3) to the tab (21). The electric kettle of claim 2, wherein the tab (21) includes at least one threaded through hole (211), the mounting portion (32) includes at least one mounting through hole (321) aligned with the at least one threaded through hole (211), and at least one threaded fastener (52) passes through the at least one mounting through hole and screws into the at least one threaded through hole (211) to secure the bracket (3) to the tab (21). 3. The electric kettle of claim 2, wherein the bottom (4) of the container (8) has a substantially circular central platform (42) protruding downwards and a ring-shaped groove (41) around the periphery of the central platform (42), the body (20) of the plate (2) is fixed to a bottom surface of the central platform (42), and the tabs (21) of the plate (2) extend radially beyond the central platform (42) and are spaced from the bottom surface of the ring-shaped groove (41). The electric kettle of claim 5, wherein the tab (21) comprises a slot (213) that extends substantially in a direction tangential to an edge of the body (20) of the plate (2), and the mounting portion (32) of the bracket (3) comprises a resilient mounting structure configured to cooperate with the slot (213) to hold the bracket (3) in place by elastic forces. 7. The electric kettle of claim 6, wherein the elastic mounting structure comprises a resilient central claw (322) configured to be removably inserted into the slot (213), and a free end of the resilient central claw (322) at least partially contacts the bottom surface of the ring -shaped groove (41) when the resilient central claw (322) is inserted into the slot (213) to hold the bracket (3) in place. 8. The electric kettle of claim 7, wherein the resilient mounting structure comprises two resilient side claws (323) spaced apart from the resilient central claw (322) and configured to press against outer edges of the tabs (21) to ensure mounting stability of the bracket (3). The electric kettle according to claim 8, wherein the two resilient side claws (323) are symmetrically disposed on either side of the resilient central claw (322). The electric kettle according to claim 8 or 9, wherein each of the two elastic side claws (323) has a bent portion (3231) at a free end, and when the elastic central claw (322) is inserted into the slot (213), the free ends of the two elastic side claws (323) extend toward the bottom surface of the ring -shaped groove (41) and press against the circumferential surface of the outer edge of the tab (21). The electric kettle according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the elastic central claw (322) has teeth (3221) at a free end, and the free end of the elastic central claw (322) extends toward the bottom surface of the ring -shaped groove (41) and presses against the bottom surface of the ring-shaped groove (41) to prevent the bracket (3) from sliding radially outward. 7. The electric kettle of claim 6, wherein the elastic mounting structure comprises an elastic insert (324) configured to be removably inserted into the slot (213) with a free end (3241) at least partially in contact with the bottom surface of the ring-shaped groove (41), the elastic insert (324) comprising an opening (325) substantially at its center and an elastic thin plate (326) extending from an edge ( 3251) of the opening (325) in a direction away from the free end (3241) of the elastic insert (324), wherein when the elastic insert (324) is inserted into the slot (213), the elastic thin plate (326) abuts against a surface of the tab (21) facing the bottom surface of the ring-shaped groove (41). An electric kettle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plate (2) is made of aluminum. The electric kettle according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the tab (21) is integrally formed with the body (20) of the plate (2). The electric kettle according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the bracket (3) is made of a thermally conductive material.

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